eShop USA > Books > The Space Between Us: A Novel (P.S.)
The Space Between Us: A Novel (P.S.)
List Price: $14.95Our Price: $10.17 You Save: $4.78 (32%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780060791568
ISBN: 006079156X
Label: Harper Perennial
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: February 01, 2007
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Release Date: February 06, 2007
Studio: Harper Perennial
Related Items: Featured Listmania!
Editorial Review:
The Space Between Us, Thrity Umrigar's poignant novel about a wealthy woman and her downtrodden servant, offers a revealing look at class and gender roles in modern day Bombay. Alternatively told through the eyes of Sera, a Parsi widow whose pregnant daughter and son-in-law share her elegant home, and Bhima, the elderly housekeeper who must support her orphaned granddaughter, Umrigar does an admirable job of creating two sympathetic characters whose bond goes far deeper than that of employer and employee.
When we first meet Bhima, she is sharing a thin mattress with Maya, the granddaughter upon whom high hopes and dreams were placed, only to be shattered by an unexpected pregnancy and its disastrous consequences. As time goes on, we learn that Sera and her family have used their power and money time and time again to influence the lives of Bhima and Maya, from caring for Bhima's estranged husband after a workplace accident, to providing the funds for Maya's college education. We also learn that Sera's seemingly privileged life is not as it appears; after enduring years of cruelty under her mother-in-law's roof, she faced physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband, pain that only Bhima could see and alleviate. Yet through the triumphs and tragedies, Sera and Bhima always shared a bond that transcended class and race; a bond shared by two women whose fate always seemed to rest in the hands of others, just outside their control.
Told in a series of flashbacks and present day encounters, The Space Between Us gains strength from both plot and prose. A beautiful tale of tragedy and hope, Umrigar's second novel is sure to linger in readers' minds. --Gisele Toueg
Poignant, evocative, and unforgettable, The Space Between Us is an intimate portrait of a distant yet familiar world. Set in modern-day India, it is the story of two compelling and achingly real women: Sera Dubash, an upper-middle-class Parsi housewife whose opulent surroundings hide the shame and disappointment of her abusive marriage, and Bhima, a stoic illiterate hardened by a life of despair and loss, who has worked in the Dubash household for more than twenty years. A powerful and perceptive literary masterwork, author Thrity Umrigar's extraordinary novel demonstrates how the lives of the rich and poor are intrinsically connected yet vastly removed from each other, and how the strong bonds of womanhood are eternally opposed by the divisions of class and culture.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Interesting book
I enjoyed reading this book although I was confused at times with the switching of stories of Bhima and Sera. Poignant, believable characters living tragic, intertwined lives. It has motivated me to learn more about India and its culture.
Rating: - excellent character study -- although sad
This was a book club choice and I didn't know what to expect. Beautifully written, evocative, the writing made me see and experience Bombay -- in its richness and depressing poverty. You come to know and appreciate the women in this story -- even as you grieve for their character flaws. We have not discussed this book yet but I expect it will be a rich discussion as the book is both deep and wide.
I am not sure I enjoyed the book but I certainly appreciated it and it made me really ... Read More
Rating:  - Space Between Us
This is a great book. Enjoyed the culture and content. Could hardly put it down.
Rating:  - Depressing
I appreciate this book for its culture and voice...I can even enjoy a story that has this kind of melancholy and the frustrating reality of chauvinism. I feel that it provides an experience that I'm thankful not to have in my real life, but to know that people live this way-with abusive husbands, in unfathomable slums, where equal opportunities aren't even mentioned-is fascinating to me. HOWEVER...if you are like me and you read a book to escape the harsh realities of life or to at least feel the suffering ... Read More
Rating: - Best book
One of the best books I have read this year! It brilliantly captures the two different worlds of Bhima and Serabai.
Related Categories:
| |
 |
